Malaria

Scientists have discovered a highly-promising new weapon that could help counter drug-resistant malaria, demonstrating how a compound can stealthily infiltrate the parasite and causes it to self-destruct.

In many regions, insecticide-impregnated bed nets are utilized not just to keep malaria-carrying mosquitoes from biting, but also to kill them. A new study shows that such nets could be much more effective if a different type of chemical were used.

For many years now, people in parts of Africa have used a tea made from the leaves of a certain plant to treat malaria. Scientists recently identified the active ingredient, and believe that it could be used in alternative treatments for the disease.

Following a successful pilot study encompassing nearly one million children the World Health Organization is now recommending widespread use of the world's first malaria vaccine across all sub-Saharan Africa.

BioNTech, the pioneering mRNA company responsible for one of the world’s first COVID-19 vaccines, is now looking to develop an mRNA malaria vaccine. Working with the World Health Organization the company hopes to begin human trials sometime next year.

A new technology developed at Imperial College London could give one of our most promising malaria vaccine candidates a huge boost, by streamlining the development process through the use of what are described as "mosquito smoothies."

There are already places where homes are built on stilts, to avoid seasonal floods. A new study, however, suggests that doing so may also significantly reduce the risk of being bitten by malaria-carrying mosquitos.

New findings are indicating a commonly used herbicide appears to weaken the immune systems of insects. One mosquito experiment suggests the chemical can amplify insect susceptibility to parasitic infection, possibly increasing malaria transmission.

Results from a trial testing a new malaria vaccine have revealed an impressive 77 percent efficacy, higher than any prior vaccine trialled. The vaccine is the first to reach a WHO goal of at least 75 percent efficacy and a larger trial is now underway.

Researchers at the Burnet Institute have examined the potential to attack malaria infection before it gets to the liver – as soon as it enters the bloodstream from a mosquito bite – and they've identified an important mechanism for vaccines to target.

It can be difficult to determine if someone has malaria – enough so, that many people who don't even have the disease end up being treated for it. A new technique, however, could make diagnosis much easier and more reliable.

Genetic engineering has been proposed as a way to deal with the deadly mosquito, and a new project by Texas A&M AgriLife Research is looking to enable risk-free "test runs" of such genetic changes that are automatically deleted after a period of time.